A camera is provided which includes a dust-proofing member having a substantially circular or polygonal plate-shape and a transparent portion at an area having at least a predetermined length in a radial direction from a center of the dust-proofing member. The transparent portion is opposed to a front of an optical device at a predetermined interval, and an interval of an equivalent optical path length of at least 5 mm is provided between a surface of the dust-proofing member and the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device. And a sealing structure portion is arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member. The sealing structure seals a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A camera comprising: an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof; an exchangeable photographing lens which inputs a subject image onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device; an image signal processing circuit which converts an image signal obtained from the image pick-up device, corresponding to an image formed onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device, into a signal suitable to recording; a dust-proofing member having a substantially circular or polygonal plate-shape and comprising a transparent portion at an area having at least a predetermined length in a radial direction from a center of the dust-proofing member, wherein the transparent portion is opposed to a front of the photographing lens at a predetermined interval, and wherein an interval of an equivalent optical path length of at least 5 mm is provided between a surface of the dust-proofing member and the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device; a vibration generating member, for vibrating the dust-proofing member, arranged outside an area through which the beams pass through the dust-proofing member, wherein the vibration generating member includes a piezoelectric element made of piezoelectric ceramics; and a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member, the sealing structure portion sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.
2. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the vibration generating member causes the dust-proofing member to vibrate in a standing wave.
3. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the dust-proofing member comprises an optical low-pass filter.
4. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the dust-proofing member comprises an infrared cut-off filter.
5. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the dust-proofing member comprises a protecting glass of the image pick-up device.
6. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein an optical low-pass filter is arranged between the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.
7. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein an infrared-cut-off filter is arranged between the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.
8. A camera comprising: an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof; an optical member having a first surface opposed to a front of the image pick-up device at a predetermined interval; and a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the optical member, the sealing structure portion sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the optical member, wherein a dimension of an interval between the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device and a second surface of the optical member is set such that when positioning an object having a diameter of 1/10 or less of an exit pupil of a photographing lens on the second surface of the optical member, a density of a shade formed onto the photoelectrically converting surface is approximately 5% or less of a density of a shade formed by the object when placing the second surface of the optical member at a position of an equivalent optical path length of 1 mm in air from the photoelectrically converting surface.
9. The camera according to claim 8 , wherein a dimension of the interval has an equivalent optical path length of 5 mm or more in air.
10. The camera according to claim 8 , further comprising: a vibration generating member arranged at the peripheral portion of the optical member for vibrating the optical member.
12. The image pick-up device unit according to claim 11 , further comprising: a vibration generating member arranged at the peripheral portion of the optical member for vibrating the optical member.
13. An image pick-up device unit applicable to a camera to which a photographing lens is exchangeably attached, said image pick-up unit comprising: an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof; a plate-shaped optical member having a first surface opposed to a front of the image pick-up device at a predetermined interval; a vibration generating member, for vibrating the optical member, arranged outside an area through which the beams pass to be irradiated onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device, wherein the vibration generating member includes a piezoelectric element made of piezoelectric ceramics; and a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the optical member, the sealing structure portion sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the optical member, wherein an interval between the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device and a second surface of the optical member is set such that when a non-transparent object having a diameter of not more than 50 μm is positioned on the second surface of the optical member, a shade density of a shade of the object on the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device is not more than 5%.
14. A camera comprising: an exchangeable photographing lens; an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof; a plate-shaped optical member having a first surface opposed to a front of the image pick-up device at a predetermined interval; a vibration generating member, for vibrating the optical member, arranged outside an area through which the beams pass to be irradiated onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device, wherein the vibration generating member includes a piezoelectric element made of piezoelectric ceramics; and a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the optical member, the sealing structure portion sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the optical member, wherein an interval between the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device and a second surface of the optical member is set to have a dimension such that when a non-transparent object having a diameter of not more than 50 μm is positioned on the second surface of the optical member, a shade density of a shade of the object on the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device is not more than 5%.
15. The camera according to claim 14 , wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on a size of an exit pupil of the photographing lens.
16. The camera according to claim 14 , wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on a focusing distance of the photographing lens.
17. The camera according to claim 14 , wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on a distance from a position of the exit pupil of the photographing lens to the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device.
18. The camera according to claim 14 , wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on a size of an exit pupil of the photographing lens, a focusing distance of the photographing lens, and a distance from a position of an exit pupil of the photographing lens to the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device.
19. The camera according to claim 14 , wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on a pixel interval of the image pick-up device.
20. An image pick-up device unit applicable to a camera to which a photographing lens is exchangeably attached, said image pick-up unit comprising: an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof; a dust-proofing member having a substantially circular or polygonal plate-shape and comprising a transparent portion at an area having at least a predetermined length in a radial direction from a center of the dust-proofing member, wherein an interval of an equivalent optical path length of at least 5 mm is provided between a surface of the dust-proofing member and the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device; a vibration generating member, for vibrating the dust-proofing member, arranged outside an area through which the beams pass through the dust-proofing member, wherein the vibration generating member includes a piezoelectric element made of piezoelectric ceramics; and a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member, the sealing structure portion sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.
21. The image pick-up device unit according to claim 20 , wherein the vibration generating member causes the dust-proofing member to vibrate in a standing wave.
22. The image pick-up device unit according to claim 20 , wherein the dust-proofing member comprises an optical low-pass filter.
23. The image pick-up device unit according to claim 20 , wherein the dust-proofing member comprises an infrared cut-off filter.
24. The image pick-up device unit according to claim 20 , wherein the dust-proofing member comprises a protecting glass of the image pick-up device.
25. The image pick-up device unit according to claim 20 , wherein an optical low-pass filter is arranged between the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.
26. The image pick-up device unit according to claim 20 , wherein an infrared cut-off filter is arranged between the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 20, 2002
March 4, 2008
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